


King Leo and Anne Boleyn

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 20:40:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6922594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I keep waiting for the part where I am beheaded.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	King Leo and Anne Boleyn

** Tuesday, November 14, 2006 (one week after the Presidential election) **

“I need to talk to you.”

“Oh whatever, I have nothing to say to you unless your statement starts with ‘my transition memo’.”

“CJ…”

“There is so much work left to be done and you guys have seriously checked out.”

“I don’t know about so much work. I really need to talk to you.”

“Transition is serious and with everything else going on I need to make sure everyone has some idea of how they get through this time. What do you need?”

Margaret came into the room; she and CJ started their usual morning ritual. What went in boxes that would end up God knows where and what she was taking to her new executive offices in the East Wing.

“Security briefing on Kazakhstan at 9:30 and Deputy National Security Advisor at 10:30.” The assistant said.

“Give this to Donna, I want to start the interview process rolling. Also, I would love to see Nancy McNally before lunch. And please get these head hunters off my back Margaret. Much as I would like to it will be at least another four years before I reenter the private sector.”

“Do you know Simon Bly?” Will asked.

For a split second, Will was sure he would have missed it if he blinked, Margaret paused. Then she went right back to her work.

“I would say I do not; not really. Oh Margaret, can you get rid of this.” CJ handed her last night’s dinner platter. “This place is starting to resemble my dorm room at Berkeley. Get me a Poison poster and we are set.”

“Yeah. We have to do thank you cards this afternoon. There are so many condolences cards to look at.”

“I don’t have a lot of time.” CJ replied.

“We have to do thank you cards this afternoon.” Margaret repeated. “I penciled in 2 to 3.”

CJ went to argue but the look on Margaret’s face told her it was both fruitless and a bad idea. They had just buried her father on Friday and many did not think she should even be back at work. The Bartlet Administration was over and she was the Second Lady-elect; they thought she had other things to do. Some would say better. While the Chief of Staff was deeply saddened by his passing, nothing about it was unexpected. She hoped he was in a better place, his memories intact, dancing with her mother.

“Margaret, I need to speak to CJ alone.” Will said.

The assistant nodded, grabbing more binders and leaving the office.

“What do you know about Simon Bly, CJ?”

“I don’t know anything. He is a guy who seems to have many opinions about things. I know he and Leo used to be friends but they are not anymore. What is going on?”

“Why are he and Leo not friends anymore?”

“Tell me what’s going on. Now.”

“Answer my question first; it might help make sense out of all this.”

“He was going to go on TV and demand Leo’s resignation and say some things that didn’t need to be said about the Administration after it was revealed that Leo was addicted to Valium. What is happening Will?”

“He has written a book.”

“OK.”

“It comes out Tuesday and…”

“Oh God, the President isn’t even out of office yet. What is he saying?”

“It is not about the President; he is a character in the cast. It is a tell-all about your marriage.”

There was no point in beating around the bush. In the next couple of days, most of this would be public knowledge.

“What?”

CJ felt dizzy, as if a heavy object had fallen on her head. Will wished he were not the one who had to do this. Where was Toby Ziegler when you needed him?

“It’s called _King Leo and Anne Boleyn_. I think you can figure out where he is going just by the title. We…”

“Who gave you this?” CJ asked.

“Steve. I'm trying to see if I can get some kind of advanced copy, but…”

“This thing will be locked up like Fort Knox. I know some people; I will make calls. Who’s publishing it?”

“Griffin and Sons, the Toronto division.”

“Did Steve have an advance?”

“Nothing solid. This is being kept very quiet; they want to slam Leo.”

“Why not during the election? We were vulnerable then?”

“My only guess is…”

“This is personal.” CJ murmured.

“Yeah. I'm really…”

“Don’t apologize.” She held up her hand. “This is my life now. Something like this was bound to happen eventually. I have some calls to make so…”

“Yeah. If Steve knows, other people will get wind soon. We have to be ready to fight this.”

“I doubt it will break until the weekend. It is too big for anything else. We have until Friday to get our bearings.”

Nodding Will walked out of the room. CJ tried to take a deep breath; found it difficult to breath. She gripped the desk until her knuckles were white and listened to her heart pound in her ear. Then she picked up the phone. 

“We need to talk. We need to talk right now!”

***

Twenty men and women in skirts and suits silently hovered around the back of the dining room of DC Coast. Leo studied CJ a she sipped her soup; something wasn’t right. The odds of getting her to tell him what it was were not good.

“I met with the President-elect today.” He said, trying to engage her in conversation. It was no easy feat. When CJ McGarry did not want to talk, damn near nothing could coax her out of her shell.

“Really?” she replied, not looking up from her soup.

“He is thinking of annexing British Columbia on January22.”

“He did not say that.” she challenged, glancing up to meet his gaze. There was a small smile on her face.

“He did not. But I finally got you to look me in the eye. What’s going on Claudia Jean?”

“Nothing.”

“Respectfully, I do not believe you.” Leo’s eyes narrowed. “I get the same security briefings as you do. Is it Kazakhstan? For Christ’s sake, you’ve only got two months and five days left in the Administration.”

“You have no idea what that entails. Excuse me; I need to visit the ladies room.”

With that, CJ stood and walked away. Sylvie and Lucy, leaving a very confused Leo in her wake, followed her. He looked to the only other man in the establishment that watched his wife’s receding form.

“Bill?”

The head of CJ’s detail came closer to the Vice-President-elect’s table.

“Yes sir?”

Though they had seen each other everyday for the past four years, each man took a moment to size the other up. Suddenly, Leo felt the need to stand, to bring their heights somewhat closer, but to do so here would be awkward at best. He settled for sitting straighter in his chair and trying to look authoritative. Secret Service agents comprised the only portion of the population he could not intimidate. He learned that from having his own detail.

“Have you and Ron sat down with CJ to discuss the changes to the detail?”

“No, sir. That is scheduled for tomorrow.”

“Great,” Leo mumbled. “Something else for her to be pissed about.”

He thought he saw a whisper of a smile on Bill’s face, but couldn’t confirm it.

“And the kids? Mitch will have authority over their care in our absence.”

“Yes, sir. Is something bothering you sir?”

Leo shook his head.

“I just want to make sure everything is in order before January. That everyone is ready.”

Bill nodded, knowing something was lurking on the fringes, but waited for the Vice-President-elect to bring it up. He didn’t have to wait long.

“CJ is a little off tonight. Do you know why that is?”

Bill stared at him for a moment, not attempting to hide his disbelief. Leo was sure it was one of the first times he saw the agent show his feelings on his face.

“Mr. Vice-President-elect, I am not permitted to discuss the protectee. If she does not trust me implicitly, I am unable do my job.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Leo nodded and dismissed Bill, somewhat ashamed he had tried to get information from his wife’s body man. As much as he owed the younger man for keeping CJ safe, he hated the fact that she trusted him more than she trusted her husband.

***

“What’s all this?”

“Jesus!” CJ nearly jumped out of her skin. “You have got to stop sneaking up on me.”

“I was doing no such thing. Kate needs to see you, I have transition memos, and here are the budget folders you wanted. What is all this?”

There was an open UPS package on CJ’s desk; she struggled to cover it with random papers. There was enough crap lying around to make that easy. Sitting back behind her desk, CJ buried the thing.

“Just leave all that here and beg off Kate for a half hour or so. There is something else I need to do.”

“Nothing is on the schedule. What is going on CJ?”

“Nothing.” She took a deep breath. “Everything is just fine.”

“Is it here?”

Nora came running into the office, stopping in her tracks when she saw Margaret. 

“What’s going on?” Nora attempted to sound nonchalant.

“Good question.” Margaret replied. “I was trying to find out the same thing.”

“Margaret, cut it out. I need to talk to Nora alone.”

She looked at both the women, moved past Nora, and out of the office. Nora closed the door.

“Is it here?”

“I had to hide it from Margaret. The woman sniffs out trouble better than a bloodhound. Here it is.”

CJ took the package, moving it over to the couch. Nora sat beside her.

“I don’t know if this is everything; Rick could only get his hands on the first draft. For all I know we have illegally obtained papers.”

“Do you really care?” Nora asked.

“No. We need to somehow get copies of this and distribute it to the right people.”

“Who are we going to involve in this CJ? We have to trust them implicitly.”

“Right now, I don’t trust a soul. Simon Bly doesn’t even know me, or my marriage. If he wrote a tell-all book someone had to supply him with information.”

“For all we know it is just lies.”

CJ truly hoped that were so, but the pain in the pit of her stomach told her something else. Writing a book of lies would only open the author up to a libel suit. There had to be someone to add an air of truth to this project. Her father always said that every lie was 90% true. This was going to be a horrible time.

“Donna, Charlie, Toby, you…” CJ said.

“I think we should involve Margaret in this.”

“No. She is too close to Leo. He does not need this right now; our marriage doesn’t need this. We have to fly under the radar.”

“Charlie is with him all day in the OEOB doing transition work. You think giving him parts won't be just as dangerous.”

“I know. But…”

“Do you not trust Margaret, CJ?”

“This is what it is going to do, Nora. It is going to make me question every friend I ever had, every secret I ever confided, and every soul who I have encountered in the past eight years. Maybe even longer. It is going to make me stare at my agents, check rooms for bugs, and wonder what people are whispering as I walk down the halls. I don’t know if I can handle that.”

Nora put her arm around CJ as the Chief of Staff tried to get herself together.

“You can trust Margaret with your life CJ, and you know that. She did not meet Simon Bly in some parking lot and reveal the inner workings of your marriage. You are going to call her in here, tell her about this, and she is going to help protect you. OK?”

“OK.” CJ whispered.

“I’ll make copies and start a war room.”

“In the White House?”

“Where else? This is a White House problem; this book may have implications for the next Administration. We’ll use the steam pipe trunk distribution venue; no one will know. CJ, we are going to get through this.”

She took the manuscript in her hand and stood.

“Hey, after you distribute those we should have martini and a cigarette.”

“It’s barely eleven a.m.” Nora replied.

“OK. Fuck the cigarette.”

“You're so funny.”

Nora left the room and CJ stood. How was she going to do this? She did not know the contents of the book, but the idea of reading it, of the people she loved reading it, made her want to vomit. She went back to her desk and washed down the bile with lukewarm coffee.

“Margaret?”

“Yeah?”

“Come in and close the door. I need to talk to you.”

“Something bad is happening, isn’t it?” the redhead stood in the doorway.

“I think so. Come on in.”

***

“Hey Cliff Calley.”

Cliff opened Donna’s apartment door and smiled at Nora. He did not look very happy but the Special Assistant had too much on her mind to ask a bunch of questions.

“How is the new baby? I'm sorry, I've forgotten his name.”

“Jules and he is terrific. Thanks. I figure Donna is here.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you.”

“Bye.”

Nora walked into the living room. Surprised, Donna wiped a few errant tears.

“Hey, what's the matter?”

“Hmm?”

“Donna, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, seriously. I…”

“Did you tell Cliff about the book?” Nora asked.

“No, of course not. I'm fine OK. It has been a stressful week.”

“Tell me about it. Do you mind if I light up?”

“Just crack the window. I have some Sauvignon Blanc; do you want a glass?”

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

Nora opened one of the windows, shivering with the cold breeze. She lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply. It had been a long week and it was not over. It would not be over until the whole world knew intimate pieces of their lives, the true and not quite true.

“Here you go.” Donna handed her a wineglass.

“God bless you.”

She went around, lit a few scented candles, and settled on the couch. They were both quiet for a while.

“Is it hard keeping all of this from Cliff?” Nora asked.

“I don’t like to keep secrets from him if that is what you are asking. He’ll know eventually.”

“At least he is not Acts II and III of a 5 act play.”

“I suppose Toby is not taking this well.”

Nora flicked her cigarette out of the window, surprised when Donna asked her to leave it open. The brunette flopped in one of the chairs.

“Since he resigned, Toby has been a bundle of nerves and emotions. This was the last thing he needed. It was tough.”

“Yeah. I guess we better talk about this…strategy is important.”

“Is anything they said about you true?”

“Sure. A lot of it is; I just don’t know how they know. It is an almost perfect cohesion of lies and truths. It was almost hard for me to pick them out. I found myself reading paragraphs repeatedly.”

“I didn’t find many lies in my section.” Nora replied. “It’s more like speculation and distorted views of how it happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the part about the power struggle between Abbey and CJ after the shutdown is a prime example. We all know how Abbey felt about Leo after what happened to Zoey. And we all know she insinuated herself into policy issues that maybe the President did not fight because of his guilt. And we all know Leo hated it. Now if Leo is a puppet of CJ and the President is a puppet of the First Lady, all of that is true. It can all be looked at as leading to the heart attack, the prolonged MS episode, CJ’s rise to Chief of Staff, Josh’s quitting; the list goes on. Words can be twisted and the truth turned into a lie with a few well-placed commas and adverbs.”

“Well, what about that crap with CJ and Bruno Gianelli?” Donna asked. “That did not happen. I know that.”

“How do you know? Neither of us were in that room. She will not talk about Manchester with anyone, and she does not have to. It is no one’s business.”

“If no one was in the room then how does Simon Bly know?”

Rumors had circulated for years about CJ and the political strategist. A whisper here, a speculation there, it was the Washington way. You weren’t important until vicious rumors spread about you. It had reached egg standing on its own proportions. Thingsthatarewrong.com. People loved to talk about it until it became public knowledge that Bruno was the father of Margaret’s baby. Then the redheaded senior assistant seemed to replace CJ in all the scenarios.

“I don’t know Donna, but it is scary. He knows about my turning down Toby’s first proposal and details about my accident.”

“God, your accident. Nora, should you even be in the thick of this?”

“I'm fine. Well I will be after this cigarette. I am at my best when fighting.”

Nora lit another and Donna slid an ashtray across the coffee table.

“He knows about Josh coming to Germany but not details.” She said. “Josh takes more of a beating than me; I'm only made to look like the puppy dog at his beck and call.”

“Saying you seduced Cliff Calley to get the President a slap on the wrist is not getting off easy. Suggesting Leo set it up is even worse. None of us are painted very pretty in this book.”

“At least Cliff and I know it’s not true. That is what I am holding on to.”

There was silence again and Donna listened to Nora smoke. Tomorrow they would all be together talking about this. They would look into each other’s eyes as they discussed personal aspects of their lives, their colleagues’ lives. They were going to have to spin things that no one had any idea would ever be revealed. Leo didn’t even know yet; that was something Donna and Nora were both glad they did not have to do.

“I'm hungry.” Nora said out of nowhere.

“I have food. Is leftover pizza good?”

“Donna, sweetie that is not food. I had that for lunch anyway. There is rosemary chicken and roasted garlic potatoes waiting at home for me.”

“Toby is rediscovering Julia Child?” Donna asked, smiling.

“Yeah. You know, it is transition time for all of us.”

“Tell me about it. Forgive me if I don’t want to talk anymore about things that may, or may not, have happened in the past. How is CJ doing? I haven’t seen her all day.”

“As well as to be expected. She is working late tonight but I am making her leave early tomorrow and told her she has to take the whole weekend off. I never thought something like this would happen at the end.” Nora sighed. “We have been through so much.”

“What the hell were we thinking, doing this again?”

“Let’s blame Bruno. Vinick was supposed to win in a landslide.”

“Then we may as well blame the nuclear accident.”

“That too. We can add Josh to the list; he picked Santos. It was an extraordinary series of events which led to the impossible being possible.”

“Oregon and Nevada…who would have thought? I'm going to get more wine; do you want?”

“Hell yeah. Just bring the whole bottle.”

“Excellent idea.”

***

Frustrated by the amount of time she had already wasted on this damn book, CJ continued to read Simon Bly’s scathing accusations aimed at her and the other women of the West Wing. They did important work; raising healthcare standards, fighting for the rights of those without a voice, appointing the first female Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, for the love of God, why couldn’t this man sit down and shut up? She knew she should be working on transition, but she couldn’t put the excerpts down.

Perhaps reading all the insults would numb her to the questions from the press. In her heart, she had nothing to be ashamed of, but that would never keep the masses from believing the scandalous fabrications. The door to the Oval opened and CJ shoved the papers into a desk drawer and stood. Bartlet noticed the hasty shuffling but said nothing, instead motioning her to sit.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

The President shook his head.

“What’s left to do, kid? Sixty-five days left in office. I think we’ve done all the damage we can do.”

CJ smiled.

“I don’t know, sir. I think a goldfish pond on the East Lawn would be lovely, don’t you?”

“I’ll have maintenance get on that right away. We should leave our mark somehow.”

They sat for a few minutes, each wrapped up in the horrors and the triumphs of the past eight years.

“So tell me, Claudia Jean, what has my staff holding covert meetings in the steam pipe trunk distribution venue this late in the game? I don’t think we’ve had secret strategy meetings since reelection.”

CJ looked at him for a moment, sighed, and handed over the manuscript.

Bartlet whistled.

“ _King Leo and Anne Boleyn_? Catchy title, especially from Simon Bly. I’m sure someone else came up with this. What does it say?”

“The usual rumors with a little added flair. I keep waiting for the part where I am beheaded.”

Bartlet put the file back on her desk and sat back in the chair. CJ looked tired, worn down by the past decade. So many things he couldn’t remember anymore. The MS was slowly ravaging his brain. But one thing he never would forget: Claudia Jean Cregg wrapped in her knee length parka, wearing a blue wool hat, leather gloves and snow boots, sitting on his front porch in Manchester drinking coffee in negative ten-degree temperatures. She looked like a little kid then, so full of energy and hope that they could change the world. Nine and a half years, a marriage, an MS scandal, an assassination scandal, two kids, a job change, a massive White House leak on her watch, the death of her father and now this. He reached across the desk to take her hand into his.

“What did Leo say?”

CJ’s silence told him everything he needed to know.

“You haven’t told him. You need to tell him, CJ.”

“All due respect, sir, you cannot order me to disclose anything to my husband.”

“I would not do that. But he’s going to be more upset the longer you keep it from him.”

CJ knew he was right, and she hated him for it. Damn the man for understanding Leo so well.

“I just don’t want this to cause more of a rift than necessary.” He said.

“Again, sir, I say this with the utmost respect, please butt out of my marriage. Leo has made choices that have put us in this position, and he has to deal with the consequences. Unfortunately so do I, so do my children and so does everyone who loves us. They were not all involved in this.”

Jed sighed, knowing he could do nothing further. He was already on her shit list for practically demanding that Leo accept the nomination. As loyal and loving as CJ was, he had probably been on her shit list since he had Leo tell her about the MS. 

“Okay. Just let me know if I can do anything. I am here for you and for Leo.”

“Thank you sir.” His offer elicited a small smile.

Bartlet nodded as he left the room.

“You bet.”

***

“What's the matter?”

“What?”

Toby put the manuscript down, rubbed his eyes and looked at his wife. Then he took a healthy sip of his bourbon.

“Why are you still awake?” Nora asked.

“What time is it? Nora, you need to sleep. You have to go the White House in the morning.”

“I have to go to temple in the morning; I won't be at the White House until late afternoon. There is not much left to do. I got up when the baby cried. Stop reading that and come to bed Toby. It’s too late to be drinking.”

Toby’s first instinct was anger at her telling him what to do, but he bit down on it. It wasn’t Nora he was angry with at all; it was so many other things. He had to keep his head on straight. Maybe she was right to say he should stop reading the damn thing. He had been reading it for two days straight and it had not changed anything, except maybe him.

“What time is it?” Toby asked again.

“I don’t know really, the baby woke me. You were in bed when I fell asleep.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Obviously. You can't seem to put that manuscript down.”

“We need to be ready.”

“We’re ready.”

“No. This is going to knock us sideways no matter how prepared we think we are.” He said.

“So reading more of this garbage is supposed to help. You're winning my argument for me.”

Toby didn’t respond; he just drank his bourbon. Nora lit a cigarette behind him and he listened to her inhale deeply.

“It is interesting to read another take on what I lived through.”

“Are you saying much of it is true?” she asked. She sat at the table and looked at her husband.

“Nora, let’s talk honestly with each other, alright?”

“We always do.”

“It’s just that CJ leans on you and I know sometimes you say things to make her feel better when it’s tough. You say it enough and you may believe it too.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about. I do my very best to be honest with CJ. It is not always pretty. We trust each other and that is how it works.”

“OK, OK.” Toby sighed. “I stand corrected. A lot of it is true. Don’t read it through CJ’s eyes; read it through yours.”

“It’s bullshit.” Nora said. “It’s jagged and broken and glued together wrong and ugly. It’s only true by default, Toby.”

He picked up and leafed through.

_Donna Moss worked with Josh Lyman for almost eight years between the campaign and the White House. In that time, she dated a bevy of up and comers in Washington. Yet somehow, she walked away from them all and stayed with Josh. She stayed in a low paying job with no respect. She stayed while Lyman ran through various important women in politics. She stayed when denied better wages and advancement. She stayed while her jealous boss thwarted her every attempt at a life outside the walls of the West Wing. When she finally asserted herself and he gave her a bone, Donna was nearly blown to bits for her effort. Did it take this accident for Donna to get a clue? Perhaps the bombs of Gaza blew her brains in instead of out. Within months of the accident, she was working for Bob Russell’s campaign. After that failed, however, she found herself right back where she started, under Josh Lyman…figuratively. Of course, some might say literally too. The saga continues._

“That is simply not true Toby. Donna is a friend of mine and she confides in me. If she were sleeping with Josh, dreamt of sleeping with Josh, I would know. We all work together, we would know. Remember how obvious we were after a while. Josh could never keep a secret like that all those years, even if Donna could.”

“Just read the words Nora, not the implication. It is all true, and cannot be denied. Even you and CJ encouraged her to leave Josh.”

Nora sighed, crushing out her cigarette.

“What are we really talking about here?” she asked.

“If those words are true, even in their little way, aren’t the other words true?”

“Not at all. I'm not following your line of thought. You think CJ tore apart Leo’s relationship with the President. You think Sam used his power to get his prostitute girlfriend a law degree. You think I'm friends with CJ because I'm on a power trip.”

Toby leafed through the pages again.

_Nora Masterson entered a powder keg in May 2001. She was brought in personally by Leo McGarry Special Assistant to the White House Chief of Staff. Don’t let the title fool you, in any given White House 8 to 10 people can hold the position at one time. Nora is the most powerful one in the Bartlet White House, a true member of the Senior Staff. She is definitely special. Firstly, she is a veteran on the Hill and would be a serious asset to the weakened Administration. Secondly, she is the only person in the inner circle who could focus on work…conspiracy charges were not something she had to worry about._

_Another special thing about the attractive 34 year old, she seemed to catch the eye of Toby Ziegler. The Communications Director had become intolerable and most speculated it had nothing to do with the uphill reelection battle they were facing. Upon return from the President’s hometown of Manchester, New Hampshire, CJ McGarry got two surprises: her job at the podium back without question and her pregnancy with the couple’s first child. He was getting ready to lose his best friend, his former lover, and maybe something more. He had not been happy since the relationship had been announced to the press almost a year and a half ago. After the pregnancy announcement, no one wanted to be within 39 feet of him._

_Leo made sure Toby was the first one Nora was introduced to. She was so similar to his wife that Ziegler was smitten immediately. While the women looked nothing alike, their personalities were practically identical. It was like being with his old love all over again. By the Thanksgiving holidays, it was obvious that the co-workers were more than that. The Bartlet bug had bitten again. And when the Press Secretary suffered a horrible miscarriage in her sixth month of pregnancy, she did not have to worry about her spurned lover’s wrath. He was otherwise occupied. With Nora by his side, the foursome became inseparable. They were building the foundation of the new empire; Bartlet could not sit atop the throne forever._

“What about it?” she asked.

“Those words are true; the large majority of them. While I was not thrilled about the marriage or the pregnancy, it was not the cause of my anger. Still, I was angry, and everyone knew it. Sometimes you can make two plus two equal nine. All the words are true; putting them together and gluing them makes them false. Speculative at best. But do you think the readers will care?”

“I am not a fucking consolation prize.” She said through clenched teeth. “You didn’t lose the game Toby…I was not your lovely parting gift.” She lit another cigarette.

“I know that. I love you so much and you know that. But it’s going to get harder before it gets easier. We have to be ready to stand in the line of fire. I don’t see how we can spin this; we can only hold on until the tornado is over. As the faces of the Vice-President and Second Lady-elect, we are going to be the ones answering most of the questions. Our pain may be lost in the shuffle, but our ‘story’ will be just as big in the news. We may even be answering questions about ourselves.”

“Yeah.” After four puffs, she put out the cigarette. “I can't talk about this anymore. It is three in the morning and I want to go to bed. I want my husband to put his arms around me and I want to dream that this is not happening. Put the damn manuscript down, Toby.”

Nodding, he finished his bourbon and put his arm around her. Upstairs they looked in on their sons before going into their bedroom. In bed, Toby held her tight and Nora cried herself to sleep. She knew CJ McGarry was a few blocks away doing the same thing. They would make it through this trying time, as they had all the others. Nora only wondered if they would be able to look each other in the eye after the firestorm. This book could tear apart all the precious relationships that were supposedly its subject.

***

Unannounced, but never uninvited, Charlie Young walked into CJ’s office and sat in the guest chair across from her desk.

“Remember the time I dismantled your desk because you stole the President’s personal schedule?”

“What?” CJ exclaimed. “I did no such thing. The entire time, it was in your filing cabinet. You, my friend, had misplaced it.”

Unconvinced, Charlie pointed to himself.

“Me? I don’t think so. I’ve worked at the White House seven years now, and I’ve never misplaced anything.”

The air quotes he made around the word misplaced highlighted his indignation. CJ ruefully shook her head, wearing the smile that no matter what Charlie could bring out of her.

“Was there a point to this charming stroll down memory lane, Sparky?”

Charlie leaned forward in his chair.

“The good things; people are never gonna care about that. We create policy, change, hope for the future. And in the process we form bonds stronger than any family I know.”

He paused a moment.

“I know what they say about Zoey affects her; I know it affects us as a couple. The good things don’t stick, CJ. In the end, neither do the bad things, unless they play it repeatedly on CNN. And I say this with all the love in the world, if the Vice-President Elect kills his Deputy Chief of Staff that will be remembered.”

CJ snorted involuntarily.

“So you’re joining the President’s camp in saying I should tell my husband about a book that paints him as the most manipulative power player in Washington?”

“He will find out eventually. I just think it would be better from you than from me, or Sean Hannity. By the way, the book paints you as the most manipulative power player in Washington.”

CJ let out a long breath.

“Yeah. He’s going to go through the roof, Charlie.”

“And you didn’t?”

“I don’t have a heart condition.”

Charlie nodded thoughtfully. Leo’s health would always be foremost in CJ’s mind.

“So sit him down and talk him through it. If he can’t handle a book, he can’t handle being Vice-President. He can handle being Vice-President, CJ.”

“You think I don’t know that? His ultimate destruction will be some silly shit like this. It isn’t complementary of him, but I know he can handle that. All kinds of people have said all kinds of things about him over the years. I’m worried about what he’ll do after he reads Simon’s analysis of me.”

“You have to trust him again someday.” Charlie replied.

“Do I?” CJ shook her head. “I’m honestly not sure I ever will again.” Her voice broke and she swallowed the lump in her throat. “How can I after what he’s done? How could anyone expect me to?”

“I don’t know. I’d be pissed, too. But you made your choice; you chose to stay with him. You’re going to be Second Lady. I’m going to be his Deputy Chief of Staff. I refuse to play on opposite sides with you for the next four years.”

“Exactly what are you asking me, Charlie?” CJ asked provocatively.

Charlie rolled his eyes at her attempt to deflect.

“Seriously, CJ. He made decisions and so did you. Good, bad, or indifferent, it’s done.”

“I don’t want to talk anymore. You made your thoughts known, and now I have a lot of work to do. I'm sure you do too.”

Charlie stood, looking down at her.

“Think about it, alright?”

He walked out the door and CJ didn’t get anything done for two hours. She sat at her desk, thinking about it. Thinking about how this book would destroy her marriage, her friendships, and her life. She didn’t know if she could ever forgive Leo for that.

***

“Claudia Jean, I want to know what the hell is going on! Don’t lie to me for another instant!”

“What?”

CJ came out of the closet, standing on the other side of the bed. She was wearing that blue nightgown, the one that brought out her eyes. Her hair was wet and her feet were bare. Even drenched in anger Leo took pause; she was a beautiful woman. It was Saturday night and all he wanted to do was come home after a long day and make passionate love to his wife. Another debacle was going to keep that from happening. What else was new? When had their marriage become a constant war zone?

“You're keeping something from me. Everyone is! What the hell is going on?”

“Nothing. Leo…”

“Stop it! Stop lying to me. You’re going to tell me what is going on.”

“You’ve been busy and I am trying to handle it. I can handle it.”

“Claudia Jean, what is going on?” Leo’s voice was low and CJ knew no matter what the truth was the only way out.

“On Tuesday a book will be released. Simon Bly wrote it and the subject is our marriage and the Bartlet Administration.”

“Oh my God.” Leo started to pace, running his fingers through his hair. “Oh my God.”

“Leo…”

“What the hell were you thinking? How long have you had this?”

“Will came to me on Tuesday. He said…”

“Tuesday! You have to be kidding! Everyone knows about this but me? You have been working this behind my back? How much of the damn staff is reading about the inner workings of my marriage?”

“This is not about behind your back, and the last time I checked I was part of this marriage too.” CJ’s tone was incredulous. “This is about your desire to control everything. We are working to stem the tide, and doing fine. He is going to drop it on the Sunday shows.”

“So I was supposed to find out about this over my Wheaties tomorrow? You do not keep things like this from me. We are married Claudia Jean, supposed to be a team. I should have been the first person you called. You do not run off half-cocked without me where our marriage is concerned. You certainly do not involve all of our friends and colleagues. You…”

CJ’s laugh interrupted his spiel. There was no mirth behind it and Leo cut his eyes at her.

“Something is funny?” he asked.

“A team?” she laughed again. “Leo, you wouldn’t know a team if it bit you in the ass. Were we a team when you decided to run for Vice-President? The decisions you’ve made in the recent past have opened us up to this assault. Decisions you made without my consultation; without even thinking about me. Don’t you dare come in here talking about being a team.”

“You agreed to this!”

“What choice did I have! You want to know about this book Leo? In it, you are painted as the shrewd, though past his prime, political operative who brought young, beautiful women into the White House to pimp to his powerful, older friends. Me, I am the one who used her back and her knees for every success I achieved. 

“I had kids to keep you and a miscarriage for sympathy. When you lay dying, I convinced you to give me your old job and then I forced you to be the nominee because of my insatiable thirst for power. I made you leave your wife, I created a rift between you and your best friend…all I care about is myself. Don’t tell me that I ever agreed to this.”

CJ brushed past him and over to the dresser. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She slipped on socks and her sneakers.

“None of that is true and you know it.” Leo replied.

“Wow, thanks for the update. That doesn’t mean people aren’t going to believe it. This will ruin everything I worked for; everything I hoped for.”

“Are you going to blame this on me too? It’s all my fault because I used to be friends with him. Is this just one of the many ways I ruined your life?”

“Don’t victimize yourself Leo; it doesn’t become you.”

“Well I am damn sure not going to apologize anymore. This is me CJ; you knew that coming in. You said you accepted it but at every turn you hate me more.”

“I need to get out of here; I don’t want to be around you right now. You are the most selfish, self-absorbed, sorry excuse…”

“Oh shut the hell up.”

CJ slapped him. Leo stared at her with hard hazel eyes. His jaw twitched and they both knew they were going to get into it.

“How dare you!” CJ exclaimed.

“Dammit CJ, if I hit you like you hit me, what kind of man does that make me?”

“Don’t you ever talk to me like that again. I am your wife.”

“Then act like it! Stand beside me, support me, love me.”

“Go to hell! The next time you want to come in here and tell me how I can be a better wife to you, at least wish me Happy Birthday first.”

She walked out and Leo shouted after her.

“This is what you do! You run away from our problems. Well stay out tonight!”

He slammed the door and she rushed down the stairs. Throwing open the front door she was confronted by Bill and Sylvie. It was cold and had begun to drizzle.

“I need some air; need to take a walk.” She tried to move past them.

“How about a drive ma'am?” Sylvie suggested.

“No! I need to be on my feet and I need to be alone. Get the hell out of my way, both of you.”

“We’ll walk, Mrs. McGarry.” Bill said, quickly defusing the situation. He had been here before; she and her husband were fighting. “We will walk as long as you want and Sylvie will follow behind in the car. Right, Sylvie?”

“Yes ma'am.” The agent nodded, rushing down to the waiting SUV.

“I'm laying down some ground rules OK?”

“If you must.” CJ muttered.

“You need a coat firstly, go and get it.”

CJ did as he asked, grabbing her ratty peacoat from the closet and coming back onto the porch.

“Hold this umbrella and you hold onto me. You do not let me go under any circumstances. If you have an itch, clear it with me first. If you try to run away, I will have no choice but to take you down and neither one of us wants that to happen. Are we clear?”

“Yeah. And don’t talk to me like I am a damn baby, Bill.”

“I'm sorry ma'am. But I'm in enough trouble here as is. Promise me no funny stuff.”

“I promise.”

“Claudia Jean…”

“Promise.” She couldn’t help but smile when he said her name. Had it ever said it before, she wasn’t even sure.

They walked down the stairs, starting the slow walk down the drizzly street. Both CJ and her primary agent were quiet, but he could tell she was crying. The hand that clutched his forearm trembled.

“Are you seeing anyone, Bill?”

“I'm pretty busy right now ma'am. I have this tendency to be a bit of a workaholic.”

“Ever have a serious girlfriend or a wife?”

“Yes ma'am. I’ve been in a couple of serious relationships.”

“It’s so hard sometimes.”

“Yes ma'am.”

“Even when you love him so much, it hurts like hell.”

“Only a person you love that much has the capacity to hurt you.”

“Yeah. My husband hurts me a lot.”

“He loves you terribly, and I know how much you love him. You're both passionate…you fight. It doesn’t affect the true feelings you have for each other.”

“I used to be a different person. You know, before you met me. CJ Cregg would have never put up with this.”

“How happy was CJ Cregg?” Bill asked.

She didn’t answer, just took a deep breath and kept walking.

“I'm sorry you have to see me like this.” She said instead.

“It is my job Mrs. McGarry. Everything is going to be alright. Happy Birthday, by the way. You don't look a day over 30.”

CJ smirked.

“Yeah right. I already adore you; you do not have to suck up. I had a nice romantic evening in planned that did not involve walking in the rain late at night. You're not a bad date though. Man, I have done so much worse. OK, pity party over.”

CJ sniffed but was not able to wipe her face. She feared moving her hand and being taken down. She knew when Bill was being serious.

“It’s cold.” He said. “You should get in the car.”

“How about coffee? Let’s go to Starbucks.”

“No way.”

“Krispy Kreme drive-thru?”

“We can do that.”

“Sweet. Oh crap, I don’t have my wallet.”

“It’s your birthday, Mrs. McGarry. Tonight it’s on us.” he ushered her into the car. They had walked almost nine blocks and she was tired.

They drove around for another 90 minutes as CJ indulged in an extra-large coffee and a dozen hot glazed donuts without batting an eyelash. She sang along to songs on the radio and borrowed Sylvie’s personal cell phone to call Kate Ritter. She gabbed with her like a giddy teenager and for just a little while, she was carefree CJ again. Back in the house, she didn’t even bother to go upstairs; the pullout couch would have to do for tonight. She didn’t have the strength for another screaming match. 

She found Leo in his chair. Headline News was on low volume, and he was sound asleep. He still wore his glasses and a legal pad rested in his lap. CJ shook him gently. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

“What time is it?” he asked.

“I don’t know. We both need to go to bed, OK? I’ll just sleep in here; you go upstairs.”

“Don’t be silly.” He got up from the chair; got his bearings. “C’mon baby, come to bed with me.”

“It is not going to be that easy, Leo.”

“I know. We will get some sleep and make sense of all of it in the morning.” he held out his hand. “Please.”

“OK. Though I had coffee and donuts so I don’t know how much sleep I'm going to get.”

Leo fell asleep immediately; exhausted from a long week of transition. CJ lay awake for hours, listening to the rain as it got harder. She wondered what the next move was concerning this book, her marriage, her career, and her sanity. Something had to give; the rubber band was seconds from snapping. For the first time in a long time, CJ McGarry was scared.

***

“I don’t think I have ever seen this place empty.”

Toby looked around at the empty Georgetown Diner. Well, it was not quite empty. He was there, so was the Vice-President elect. Twenty Secret Service agents accompanied them. Leo studied his menu.

“They were nice enough to keep the place closed an extra two hours for us.” he said.

“This is going to take some getting used to. Do you have any privacy?”

“Currently, no. I am usually too busy to notice. Sorry I had to get you out of bed so early.”

“Eight o’clock on a Sunday wasn’t always considered early. I think I like it better when it is. What’s going on?”

“Well, while we are in transition, I need you to…”

“Leo, I am not coming back to the White House.”

“Toby…”

“I will not go back there until January 21, 2006. Don’t pretend you don’t know why.”

“Yeah. We’re at the OEOB anyway, at least for now.”

“You know what I mean. Whatever you need me to do, you know I will do it from the outside. What did you do for CJ’s birthday last night? Nora and I got her a spa weekend in New York; it was Nora’s idea.”

The waitress approached to take their order. Leo wanted the egg white omelet and a cup of black coffee. Toby ordered the New York Strip steak with fried eggs and a Ginger ale. Leo lit a cigarette and Toby looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“It is one cigarette; don’t start with me. No doubt they will go together, and take Donna too. They could use some time off.”

“Yeah. So you didn’t do anything last night?”

“We had a fight.”

“On her birthday? Are you serious? What the hell was I keeping your kids for?”

“I'm sorry about that, but it’s appreciated. It is a stressful time Toby.”

“What was the fight about?”

Leo waited until the drinks were on the table and the waitress out of earshot before continuing.

“I need to talk to you about something really important.” He said.

“OK.”

“I do not want you to be offended by anything I may say Toby. It is delicate and may come out wrong.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I was White House Chief of Staff for six years and before that the President and I had been friends for a very long time. I've known you for a decade, I trust you and have every confidence in your abilities.”

“Thank you.”

“As my Chief of Staff, you will be my closest confidante and advisor. You know firsthand what that role is like. There may be times when you are privy to, and possibly enmeshed in, very personal aspects of my life.”

“Yeah, that is the part I am looking forward to with such glee.”

“I need to be first Toby. Not because I am selfish, but because that’s the way it is. I lost my first wife because of this job. That was not the only reason but I think you know what I mean. 

“I cannot have you torn about what you can't, or shouldn’t, keep from CJ. There may be times when I need you to be the gauge of her reaction to things; butter her up so to speak. You are going to be a punching bag for any anger she may have towards me and it could permanently affect your friendship. If you don’t want that, tell me now. I would understand.”

“You're afraid I won't be able to keep things from CJ?” Toby asked. “You're worried I won't be able to effectively do my job?”

“See that is what I didn’t want you to think. That, right there.”

“What the hell am I supposed to think?” he lowered his voice as breakfast was served.

“Over the course of the 5 and half years I have been married, you and I have had skirmishes. Nothing unexpected, but as my Chief of Staff many times CJ may look at you as the enemy. I just need to make sure you are comfortable being in that position.”

“She is barely speaking to me as is.”

“That won't last long; you're her best friend.”

“I love CJ. I don’t have to tell you that. But I was traded in for a new model years ago.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nora. Those two are like cosmic soul mates or something. Me, I'm just Nora’s husband these days. I'm fine about my position Leo; I took it knowing what it entailed. I have your back and you know it. What were you and CJ fighting about?”

Leo cleared his throat.

“Apparently Simon Bly has seen fit to write a book about my marriage.”

“Yeah.”

“Toby.”

“What?”

“You knew about this? You knew, and did not tell me?”

“You don’t need important transition work clogged with this BS.”

“Toby!” he exclaimed.

“You are the Vice-President Elect of the United States, Leo. Get used to it. As crazy as it sounds you are about to become unaware of so many aspects of your life. You're not the guy the guy counts on anymore; you are the guy. How many times did you tell us to keep silly things off the President’s desk? This is why you have a large staff.”

“The bastard wrote a book about my marriage.”

“Not just yours. It is a real page turner; going to fly off the shelves.”

“CJ said she is painted as a whore.” Leo said. He was seething just thinking about it.

“She is. So is Nora, Donna, and even Margaret. Hell, at least they are shrewd whores. Zoey is completely insipid. The Bartlet White House is compared to the court of Henry VIII, with you in the role as Henry. The President is mostly seen as Uncle Fluffy with moments of cunning. The craziest part, so much of it is true. Just distorted, like a funhouse mirror.”

“Any room for a libel suit?” Leo asked.

“Not even Simon Bly is that stupid. Anyway, the Vice-President Elect has no comment.”

“Yeah. CJ thinks it will break today.”

“Fox News probably has the exclusive; the other networks will follow suit. I don’t see this as banner headline material, but it will be fodder for the entertainment shows, the late night scene, and will stick around through the Christmas rush. By Inauguration, it will be old hat. This will happen a lot more than it won't after you're Vice-President.”

Leo nodded, silently eating his breakfast.

“I never intended for any of this to happen, Toby. Not the nomination, 20/20, the NASA leak, winning; none of it. She is so pissed at me.”

“Yeah. Believe me when I tell you Leo, CJ truly loves you. That does not give you license to hurt her but she will follow you to the end of the Earth. You and the children mean everything to her. It is our job to protect the both of you now. Nora, me, Charlie, Donna; you are going to be fine.”

“Sam is going to be my Communications Director.”

“Since when? Charlie said Josh definitely wanted to offer him Deputy.”

“He politely turned him down. Sam is about crafting the message; I don’t think he wants the stress of policy. I think he liked the idea of something a bit more downplayed.”

“You will be crafting a lot of messages, Leo. Sam will be a busy man.”

“I know, but certainly less busy than if he worked for the President. He has hardly been married 5 minutes. He deserves a job where he gets to go home at night. Let’s not add Ainsley Hayes to the list of people who want my head. Or is it Seaborn now?”

“It is. How is the Cabinet coming?” Toby asked.

“Nancy agreed to another term as National Security Advisor, minus Kate Harper. She will be offered a State Department position if she wants to take it. Greeley took HUD, and Schaffer Health and Human Services. The President elect is going to ask Babish if he wants AG.”

“Really? You think he will take it?”

“I honestly don’t know. I know he would be good at it. Oliver never gave a shit about making friends though and that could come back to bite us in the ass with confirmation. Though he is spotless.”

“I thought you wanted to tap Nancy for State.” Toby said. “She’s got the experience and the balls. National Security Advisor again almost seems like a slap in the face to me. Who the hell is Santos going to get if not Nancy?”

“I am not handling the official transition. My input is appreciated, but not law. Barry is doing a good job. I am quite happy with my diplomatic status at this point. I serve at the pleasure of the President, as we all do. He is going to ask Vinick.”

“Arnold Vinick? Why?”

“Because he has decades of experience. He is a good guy for the job and it may make some confirmations easier with the Republican Senate.”

“We have to get rid of them.” Toby replied.

“Midterms.”

“Yeah, that’s what we said last time. OK, let’s wrap this up so you can go home and apologize to your wife.”

“Yeah.” Leo sighed.

“Did you at least get her a good birthday gift?”

“I rented a small house in the countryside of Spain. We’re going in March, we’re taking the kids, and we are going to have a good time. Four days as a family; no politics, no bull.”

“That’s good. You better run out and buy a bauble too. You owe her for fighting on her birthday. A woman only turns forty once.”

“Pearls?” Leo asked.

“Yeah. With matching earrings. I don’t know if she will forgive you but she will love them.”

“She’ll know I did it because she was pissed.”

“Of course she will, but she won't return them. Sometimes we have to do these things. The sentiment is still the same; you love her and you're sorry.”

“I say that shit too much.” He grumbled. “What's on your schedule for today?”

“The sex I missed out on last night dealing with three rambunctious toddlers and an infant who wakes up every three hours.” Toby replied.

“By the end of this we are going to know way too much about each other.”

“Yeah.”

***

CJ pulled open the second drawer of her desk. Where the hell was the damn fish food? She was sure it could be located somewhere in her desk. Slamming that one shut, she opened the bottom drawer and felt around for it. Margaret took over primary care of Jack when election season pulled into the final stretch; CJ had enough on her plate, she did not need to remember to keep her fish alive, too. Still, Jack provided a measure of the comfort Gail had for all those years; CJ liked to bond with him and feed him from time to time.

Positive she had fed him on Election Day to calm her nerves; she knew the tiny round container had not gone far. Where the hell was the food? So much had happened in the two weeks since Election Day. Santos won and she would be Second Lady of the United States in two months, making transition even more difficult, as if that were possible. Then her father passed, and her brothers did not even see fit to help with arrangements. Tears sprung anew at the thought of Tim and Charlie never remembering their grandfather. And hell, if it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Simon Bly possessed impeccable timing; Leo had blown up over the entire affair on her fortieth birthday. Suddenly recalling the search for fish food, her hand started moving over the dark corners of the drawer again. Wrapping her fingers around a cylindrical bottle, she pulled it into the light, staring at the contents in her hand. The fish food would have to wait. She was holding a bottle of Valium.

Shocked at its sudden appearance, CJ did nothing but stare at the pill bottle, hoping to find answers in it. One little pill never hurt anything, right? After everything she had been through, she deserved to relax. Leo forced Mitch to flush her other bottle. The door to the hall opened at CJ immediately put the pills behind her back.

“Doesn’t anyone believe in knocking anymore? How hard is it to put your knuckles up and tap?” CJ muttered as the intruder let herself in. 

“What was that?” Nora asked.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

CJ looked at her best friend. She didn’t need this today; not from Nora.

“If you really must know, I was lamenting the lack of proper manners around here.”

“Who died and made you Emily Post? I forgot to knock. I'm sorry, OK.”

CJ nodded, assuming she was off the hook.

“What’s behind your back?”

“Jesus, Nora, what’s with twenty questions today?” CJ dropped the bottle in her chair as quietly as possible. “Nothing.” She lifted her now empty hands to show Nora. “See?”

Nora just shook her head, advancing on the Chief of Staff and soon to be Second Lady. CJ leaned further back in her chair in a fruitless attempt to hide the truth. She had been caught, and while part of her knew that it would be easier to fess up now, she was so sick of having to defend herself to everyone all the time.

“Stop it, Nora. You will not perform a full body cavity search on me. I know you just had a baby, but one word out of my mouth would have Bill in here in a heartbeat.”

Nora’s eyes widened at CJ’s threat.

“You do not threaten to sic Bill on me, ever! What the hell is the matter with you?”

A foot and a half separated the women and the air between them was bitter. CJ reached for the bottle and handed it to Nora. Putting a finger up to silence her reaction, she opened her mouth.

“I wasn’t going to take them. I was looking for Jack’s food and found them. Do not freak out on me.”

“Do not freak out,” Nora scoffed. “Do not freak out says the woman concealing a controlled substance.”

She slammed the bottle down on CJ’s desk.

“I wasn’t concealing a damn thing.”

“You dropped them behind your back when I walked in CJ. Swear to me that you were not going to take these.”

“I won't defend my thoughts and potential actions to you. I won't do that for anyone anymore!” CJ spat.

The disdain in her voice made Nora want to take a step back, but she fought the urge and stood her ground.

“No, I guess you won't. You will have to defend yourself to Tim and Charlie one day.”

CJ’s gaze softened at the mention of her babies. She could be strong for them when everything else failed her. She never wanted them to think of her as an addict; there would be enough thrown at them. They were too young to defend themselves. Nora took advantage of the momentary silence.

“You are not the only one affected by this book, you know.”

“It’s about my marriage, Nora.”

“You think I don’t know that? You think we’re not all ready to stand in front of this for you. Me, Toby, Donna, and Charlie…there’s shit about us, too. More of it’s true than not.”

“What are you talking about?” CJ picked up the file. “This is nothing but lies.”

“Practically none of it is lies; read a little deeper.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Whispering, Nora pointed at the door to Margaret’s area.

“The parts about Bruno Gianelli and Margaret?”

CJ flinched imperceptibly at Bruno’s name while Nora continued her tirade.

“That’s true. Everyone knows now that Bruno is Brian’s father. Think about what that does to Margaret.”

“What is this all about?” CJ interrupted, sensing that something was horribly awry.

“And Donna,” Nora hissed as if their friend could hear their conversation. “All the time she spent with Josh. You know that’s the truth. You said almost the exact same words to her a year and a half ago.”

“What about you, Nora? What does it say about you that bothers you so much?”

Silence filled the room for just a moment before Nora spoke.

“I can never fill your shoes. I shouldn’t have to.”

“Well, of course you can’t. I wear a size eleven.”

“Shut up, CJ; stop being a smartass for five minutes. It won't make this go away. I’ll never fill the hole you left in Toby’s life. And now anyone with $24.95 can read about my greatest insecurity. You’ll get to be the martyr because your picture is on the cover. None of us is taking the easy way out. Not me, Donna, Margaret or Charlie. Do what you want. Take the damn pills. See if I care.”

She turned and walked out without another word. She would not watch while CJ turned herself into a zombie again. CJ looked from the bottle of Valium to the beta fish staring out the window without a care in the world.

“I didn't mean for it to go that way, Jack. I don’t need Nora pissed at me; I need her in my corner more than anything. And I am talking to a damn fish.”

***

Nora returned from her fifteen minute walk to find her office door closed. Normally, it would be no big deal, but hell if she would let it go this way today. CJ could not waltz back into good favor without an apology. After three calming deep breaths, she swung open her door. Sure enough, CJ sat on the couch smoking a cigarette and drinking a glass of wine. Nora picked up the bottle and examined it.

“How in the hell did you get a two hundred dollar bottle of ten year old Riesling in the middle of the day?”

CJ raised a single eyebrow and smirked.

“I know some people.”

“I thought you stopped blowing dudes for booze years ago.” She replied.

Smiling, CJ patted the seat beside her and motioned for Nora to sit.

“I wasn’t going to take the pills.” She said.

Nora remained standing, averting her eyes from CJ’s piercing gaze.

“OK.”

“Hand to God, Nora.”

“I said OK.” She sat beside the Chief of Staff.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m sorry this asshole wrote horrible things about you that are not true. I’m sorry you feel like you have to stand in front of the fire for me. And I am so sorry that you think you need to fill my shoes. He loves you with his whole heart and you should never doubt that.”

Nora pulled a cigarette out of the pack on the coffee table. Lighting it off CJ’s, she took a deep drag.

“It’s my job. If I wasn’t Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff and about to become Chief of Staff to the Second Lady, it would still be my job as CJ McGarry’s best friend.”

Nora took a moment to lean into CJ’s shoulder and let the sentiment sink in. 

“The Valium is unacceptable, though.” she said firmly, drawing away.

CJ put her hands up in surrender.

“I know, I know. I’ve already flushed them.”

“Good.”

CJ nodded.

“Good. What’s next?”

***

“Hey Leo.”

“Good afternoon, Mr. President-elect.”

Leo stood from his chair, buttoning his suit jacket. He moved around the desk, trying to remove papers and books from his chair.

“Please sit down, sir. I was going to come and see you later. I know how busy your afternoon must be.”

It was hard for Matt Santos to hear Leo, and everyone really, suddenly calling him sir and being subservient. He hoped he didn’t get too used to it. He wanted to tell the Vice-President that he would always Matt but knew how much Leo respected the office; it would never happen.

“It is only going to get busier.” He said. “What are you working on?”

“Staffing issues and some scheduling for early next year. I don’t have Margaret for the time being and I've worked Charlie to the bone. Annabeth was kind enough to do this binder for me before she left.”

“She is excellent. I think she will do very well as my wife’s Chief of Staff. It surprised me that you did not scoop her up for your staff. Why is that?”

“I'm sorry sir?”

“Why isn’t Annabeth on your staff? She was your right hand during the entire campaign.”

“Political poker, sir. Donna will be working for my wife…she had to turn down the First Lady. I suggested Annabeth instead. She worked wonders for me so I know she will be everything Mrs. Santos needs.”

“So this had nothing to do with possible sexual tension and a jealous wife? I remember that on the trail; Annabeth’s crush on you was infamous. I obviously didn’t know much but I did know that.”

“I know nothing of this tension.” Leo lied. “CJ is not jealous of Annabeth and she has no reason to ever be. I never strayed from my wife. I love her very much. Is there something you want to discuss, Mr. President-elect?”

“I came to Josh; told him I would run if he managed my campaign. We were virtual strangers and I honestly didn’t think we would make it past Super Tuesday. Bob Russell was the sitting Vice-President and John Hoynes was his more popular predecessor. I don’t think anyone was more shocked than I was when I was nominated. I quickly became aware of how much I didn’t know Josh, and a lot of the staff he had chosen. Crazy things happen on campaigns and I was too busy to…”

“I'm sorry sir, but what are you talking about? You have never had a problem being candid in the past and neither have I. Please speak your mind.”

Matt Santos took a deep breath and Leo offered him a drink. He nodded, accepting the bottle of Aquafina.

“I know there is a book coming out tomorrow about your marriage.” He said.

“Everyone knows, and it is about more than that. We seem to be the highlight. I was going to discuss it with you this evening. Unfortunately, we cannot stop things like this. In four years you are going to wonder how so many pieces of your personal life, and your family’s, became fodder for the masses.”

“Yeah. Is any of it true?”

“I have not read the book; I can't answer that. Staffers I've discussed it with call it a much distorted view of the truth. I did 20/20 when you asked me to sir…I have nothing to hide.”

“So you did not have an affair with Annabeth?”

“No.” Leo’s jaw twitched. The question may have been necessary but it made him angry.

“And Josh and Donna…?”

“I'm sorry sir but I am not aware of all the things that ever happened between Josh and Donna. It did not happen in the Bartlet White House and I know Donna is currently in a serious relationship with Cliff Calley that predates her joining your campaign.”

“Did you leave your first wife for your second wife?”

“No sir. I find this line of questioning offensive. I am an open book; my life is, whether I like it that way or not. CJ has dealt with a lot as my wife and this is one more blow to her. If you feel that you do not want me as your Vice-President, for whatever reason, then I will step down. What I will not do is ever justify my personal life to you. If you are wondering about something, fine, but no fishing expeditions. I don’t care what you do in your bedroom sir and it is none of your business what I do in mine.”

“This book could have lasting implications, Leo. That is my only concern. You will be an excellent Vice-President; it is why I chose you in the first place.”

Leo bit his tongue to keep from saying that Santos chose him because he was told to do so if he wanted any chance at winning. The two of them did not need to become Bartlet and Hoynes all over again. Leo had no desire to eclipse the President-elect in some power struggle. Emeritus position, emeritus position…he kept repeating the words to himself.

“It will be a drop in the bucket, and there will be a lot more where it came from Mr. President-elect. Soon, it will be about you and your wife. This is politics; this is the life we chose. You're here to change the world but instant celebrity will follow you. While this book may put a dent in your political agenda for a month or so, it could affect my marriage for much longer. Protecting my wife and children is a top priority for me. Every time something like this happens it makes my job a little harder.”

“Leo, I certainly did not mean to offend you. It is a very delicate subject and situation for all of us.”

“No sir, it is a delicate situation for my family and myself. I haven’t even heard of you making an appearance. How did you find out about this anyway? I know it was on the Sunday shows but…”

“Barry came to me with it. It is something that concerns us.”

“Don’t worry too much Mr. President-elect. In a blink, they will move on to something else. You remember from the campaign, the bed, the thong…people’s memories are short and stories only have a small shelf life. You are in the big leagues now sir; the game just changed. You will not always know the rules. Josh can help you with that.”

“Of course, he will be an excellent Chief of Staff.”

“If he is listened to.” Leo replied. “It’s not easy to turn over your life to someone, but the thing about being strong is you have to know when to lean on your support system. That is why we are all here.”

“Yeah.” He stood and smiled. “I want to support you Leo, and CJ. If you need anything…”

“I'm fine sir. Your concern is appreciated. Thank you Mr. President-elect.”

Leo stood too, and watched Matt Santos walk out of the office. He took a couple of deep breaths; started to pace. For some reason he could not stop his anger from boiling to the surface. He grabbed the Blackberry from his desk and pushed four.

“Yeah?”

“How about you bring us some lunch? I'm hungry and I need a break.”

“What's the matter? Did something happen? What happened?”

“Just bring me some food Charlie, the unhealthier the better. Seriously, if you bring me bean sprouts I may be forced to smack you around a bit.”

“How about half and half?” Charlie suggested. Getting in trouble with Mrs. McGarry was not on his list of things to do this millennium.

“Whatever. Thanks Charlie.”

“I’ll be there in 20 minutes. Maybe you should take a walk or something until I get there.”

“Right. I will stretch my legs.”

Leo hung up, grabbed his coat, and left the building.

***

CJ opened her eyes when she heard thunder crash in the sky. Streaks of lightning followed, causing her to squint. She turned her head, surprised to see her husband looking at her. Sleep left his eyes long ago.

“What are you doing awake Leo? What's the matter?”

CJ sat up on her elbow, looking over him at the alarm clock. It was quarter to six. She looked at him again.

“The storm woke me, I guess. Maybe something else woke me.”

“What?”

More thunder and lightning as the rain beat harder against their window.

“Do you not feel well?” CJ felt his head. “Leo…”

“Stop it, CJ. I'm fine.” He took a deep breath and pulled her into his arms. The fact that she didn't fight him was a good sign. “I love you so much, baby.”

“I…I love you too.”

His mouth covered hers and CJ wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss was strong and passionate; his feelings overwhelmed the both of them. Leo could not stop touching her everywhere his hands could reach. Gentle caresses followed by the groping of a teenage boy in heat. He managed to get CJ out of her tee shirt, she took off her own panties.

“I need to fuck you, baby. I need you so much I can't see straight.”

“So fuck me.”

She spread her legs for him; touched herself to turn him on. Not that they needed it. They were on fire. The kisses and bites Leo left on her skin were so hot. They were both moaning from desire. Leo turned his attention to her breasts. CJ ran her fingers through his hair as he lavished her skin. Sucking on her hard nipples…licking, stroking, kissing, and biting.

“Oh God Leo, oh God.”

“Yeah, baby, you taste so good.”

“Don’t stop.”

“Tell me you want me Claudia Jean.” He said.

“I want you.”

“Do you mean it?”

“Oh God, yes.”

She shifted her body weight under him. Her body ached for his; seemed as if it had been forever since they simply made love. There had always been something behind it or beside it. Even the beautiful love on Election Night was laced with fear and foreboding. CJ just wanted her husband back and didn’t know if she would ever have him. Part of her was unsure of whether she ever had him in the first place.

“Leo.” She just looked at him, tears brimming in her wide eyes.

“Yeah, baby.” He touched her cheek.

“Make love to me. Please. Make sure I never forget.”

He knew what she meant. She needed to feel his love deep inside of her. No games, no banter, just the two of them. He slid inside her, slowly, until he filled her. Leo stilled; CJ put her hands on his hips. Slowly he thrust and she pushed herself to meet him. She lifted her hips to feel him deeper.

“Oh God Leo. Oh my God, I love you.”

“Me too.” He buried his face in the crook of her neck, murmuring how much she meant to him. “So much, never forget baby. Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Claudia Jean, so sorry, I love you.”

CJ gripped his hips tightly and he saw the tears sliding out of her closed eyes.

“Open your eyes.” He spoke softly.

She did and when they climaxed together a part of his soul left him and entered her. It was not the first time, though the experience had lost none of its intensity. Leo groaned as his body collapsed on hers. CJ stroked his sweaty back as the room fell into a comfortable silence. She relished the feeling of his heart beating on hers…slowing to a normal rate as his breathing regulated.

“I will die to protect you.” He finally said.

Pulling out, Leo rested on his back. He loved the feeling of his wife in his arms. If only he could bottle how he felt when her skin touched his.

“Don’t.” she whispered. “We have people ready to do that. Just love me, Leo.”

“I do, and I will never stop. I swear.”

CJ nodded, rubbing his stomach. They shared tender kisses as the storm raged outside.

“Today there is a horrible storm.” She said. “Is that supposed to be irony?”

“Yeah. We’ll get through this.”

“Damaged, but still fighting. Live to love and hurt each other one more day”

“I don’t know. I hate that you hurt, CJ; I don't know how to make it stop.”

CJ didn’t respond. She just held onto him for dear life and he did the same thing. Then she cried her eyes out. It pained Leo to such a degree that he shed tears. When it was over and there was silence, CJ tilted her chin and looked up at him.

“What's next?” she asked.

***

“Hey.”

Nora looked up from her transition memo and smiled.

“Hey yourself stranger. Get in here and give me a hug.”

Josh walked into the office, closed the door and held her tight in his arms.

“Damn, I've missed you. How have you been?”

“Good, I guess. Well OK. Actually, close to shitty. What about you? You da man right now.”

“I certainly don't feel that way. I feel like I'm fighting the uphill battle of my life.”

“What are you talking about?” she sat on the couch and encouraged him to do the same. “You won Josh…your guy won.”

“Yeah. Hey, how’s Toby? How’s Julie? Leo showed me the pictures; the kid is a looker. He takes after his mother. I should have been here to see you guys. It’s just been so…”

“Forget all that. I know you and Toby had a few secret phone calls during the campaign. The UCLA speech had his fingerprints all over it. Louise Thornton is good but she is not my speechwriter.”

“I would not go so far to classify us as friends right now. He wouldn’t sit and have a drink with me.”

“Did you invite him?” Nora asked. “He rarely turns down free alcohol.”

“No.” Josh muttered. “Just tell me how he is. Why did he leave?”

“He won't even tell me really, but he and the President really got into it. This place was like the Spanish Inquisition for a while…they really thought CJ was the leak. Anyway, he’s busy helping Leo with transition now. He likes spending time with the boys but is anxious to get back to work.”

“You left him alone with the kids?”

“No.” Nora laughed. “We have a part-time sitter. It’s time to look into a nanny soon, one that Ron Butterfield and the gang will have to vet. What’s up, Joshua? You don’t have to beat around the bush with me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the book?” he asked.

“What was I supposed to say?”

“It affects me too, Nora; you should've said something. I had Otto run out and get it this morning; skimmed it a bit.”

“It’s going to fly off the shelves.” She replied.

“Yeah, it’s bad.”

“Its business.”

“How’s CJ?”

“OK. Don’t talk to her right now; you're not her favorite person.”

“What else is new? I think you and Charlie are the only people in DC still talking to me. I get more enemies everyday as people jockey for position in the new Administration. Sam turned down my Deputy Chief of Staff offer. I offered it to Allison Medeiros from the Minority Leader’s office. She has a good head on her shoulders and a lot of positive ideas.”

“She’s a good choice. We worked together when I was WLC liaison. I hadn’t heard about Sam. He said Leo offered him Communications Director. You know, I haven’t seen you for more than 20 minutes in a long time and all we have to talk about is this.”

“It is consuming my life right now. I'm up to my neck in transition. Not to mention Kazakhstan, Barry Goodwin, and the choice of Secretary of State.”

“I heard he is going to announce its Vinick later today. Definitely make for some good TV; split the news outlets between the real deal and the gossip. What’s that about?”

“The President-elect’s attempt at Hands across America. We don’t need to appease these guys; we won. I pushed Nancy McNally until I was blue in the face. She is beyond perfect for that job and she deserves it. Anyway, we are taking back the House at midterms. We came so close this time.”

“Agreed, agreed and here’s to hoping. I would have loved to see a woman in the role; especially Nancy. Still, you cannot shoot Vinick down for experience.” Nora said. “Hey wait, we’re not talking about this.”

Josh smiled the full smile that brought out his dimples.

“Just one more thing,” he said. “This is sure to give you a giggle.”

“Then by all means. I could use one.”

“The President-elect has seen fit to hire Amy Gardner as legislative liaison.”

Nora laughed. When she saw the stricken look on Josh’s face, she laughed even more.

“Welcome to the Ziegler world. The world of having to make nice with your ex on the regular basis. Admission and tee shirt are free, but there is a one-time $100 processing fee.”

“Yeah, but Terry and Andi are not in your face every day. You are not Terry’s superior, and Andi was barely reelected.”

“This is bad on so many levels.”

They said it in unison and that caused more laughter. Sam tapped on the door and stuck his head in. 

“I heard laughter and knew this was a room I had to be in. Hey, Josh.”

“Hey. I was just going to ask Nora to join me for lunch. Wanna come?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“OK, Nora, you call Toby. I’ll call Charlie. Sam, run and get Donna, and CJ. It will be our last hurrah as the Bartlet Administration Senior Staff.”

“I like it.” Nora said, flipping open her cell phone.

“Where are we going to take the Second Lady-elect on short notice?” Sam asked.

“We will think of something…go, go, go. Hey Charlie, yeah, it’s Josh…”

***

By the time the Senior Staff entered the cafe, it was empty. Mac, Lucy, and Pete stood at the door while Bill and Sylvie watched the protectee inside, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible. That was almost impossible considering there was an innumerable amount of agents around the parameter. CJ sat at the end of several tables that had been pushed together.

“Well, well, will you look at us?” CJ stood to greet everyone. “How many months has it been since we were all in one spot?”

“Labor Day?” Sam guessed.

“I was in New Hampshire.” Charlie said, shaking his head.

“I was in Houston.” Josh added.

“Then it had to be New Year’s Eve of 2004.” Donna said.

“Let’s make sure it’s never that long again.” CJ moved toward Josh.

Frankly, he was unsure whether to duck or run. His posture relaxed when CJ hugged him and leaned back to kiss his cheek.

“So I heard this little reunion was your idea.”

He grinned, showing off his dimples.

“Just add it to the list of genius ideas from the mind of Josh Lyman, baby.”

“Oh God,” Donna muttered. “Please tell me you did not just call the future Second Lady baby….”

Josh immediately adopted his most wounded expression.

“But it’s CJ. If you can't call CJ baby, who can you?”

CJ just laughed and kept going. She embraced Toby; it had been some time since she had. They were barely on speaking terms even though she had forgiven him for deserting her, and everyone else, in their hour of need. OK, she had nearly forgiven him. She still was not sure how much he said to Greg Brock and though that guy from Hutchison’s office was the real leak, she was sure Toby violated some federal laws. Having to live with that secret really pissed her off. She would never reveal it but she didn’t want it on her conscience either.

“Thanks for coming, Tobus.”

“Don’t call me that.” he said.

Laughing again, she patted the top of his head and reclaimed her seat.

“Sit, sit, everyone. I’m starving.”

000

An hour and a half later, the restaurant was still closed to the public and raucous noise filled the dining area.

“That’s not how it went,” Sam said defensively. “If Josh hadn’t tried to block the shot, it wouldn’t have ricocheted off his fingers to hit Leo squarely in the head.”

CJ nodded in agreement.

“I think that was the first time I ever saw him turn that particular shade of red.”

Nora laughed so hard there were tears in her eyes.

“I wish I had been there to see it.”

“You really don't.” Toby reassured his wife. “The six of us on that first campaign bus; it’s a wonder we’re all still here and on decent speaking terms.”

Nora squeezed his knee under the table; he was not on speaking terms with a couple of staffers.

“I have one that might jog your memory Nora.” CJ said. “Remember, “I'm telling Leo!”

They all laughed, turning to look at Josh. He looked away.

“I still say I was right. Toby backed me up.”

“Ask him how many nights he slept on the couch for it?” she replied.

“No, don’t. It was so long I think I lost count.”

“What about the time in Brussels when the President’s translator got confused.”

Donna finished Charlie’s sentence.

“Between direction and erection.”

They got a good laugh at that memory. They probably laughed more today than they had in Brussels. Kind of hard to laugh when the President of the United States does something embarrassing. All the television cameras made it even harder.

“The infamous Jed Bartlet folksy charm came in handy for once.” Toby rubbed his beard ruefully. “I never thought it would.”

“It’s okay, speechwriter,” Nora said soothingly. “You can admit you were wrong about Uncle Fluffy.”

“Wrong is a strong word.” Toby replied. “Slightly off, yes I prefer slightly off.”

“Whatever.”

“That’s something else to put in the ‘Wow that was stupid’ category.” Sam said.

“Like you running for the California 47th?” Josh finished.

“Or Butch and Sundance getting arrested?” Nora added.

“Hey!” Charlie exclaimed. “That was self-defense.”

“The Clampetts.” Josh muttered under his breath.

“You have no room to speak Josh.” Donna said, pinching his arm.

“Ow!”

“Apparently, it’s pick-on-Toby day. I saved some butts around here in my time.”

CJ snorted at Toby’s response.

“You're starting to really sound your age there buddy. Every day from now on is pick-on-Toby day.” She stood, signaling the end of the meal. “Okay, back to work everyone.”

After the round of obligatory moans, everyone followed her lead, going separate ways.

“Josh.”

The President-Elect’s Chief of Staff turned to face his predecessor.

“Yeah?”

Pulling a package out of her purse, she handed him a small brown box.

“What is this? A gift? You got me a gift, and you didn’t even sample my delectable body. Woman, I’m touched.”

“Just open it.” she said, smiling.

He did, finding a framed post-it note. In what had to be Margaret’s large script, the letters **WWLD** were boldly inscribed. Josh looked up at CJ with a question on his face.

“It’s your transition memo,” CJ explained. “Thinking about what Leo would do got me through a lot of the rough spots. He is a smart man, Josh. I'm not just saying so because he’s my husband.”

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

“Thanks, Claudia Jean.”

“You’re gonna be great at this,” CJ whispered in his ear. “You already are you know, and you had a very good mentor.”

She squeezed Josh tightly one more time before letting go. They walked out into the bright winter sun and CJ slipped on her shades.

“Sparky!” she called.

Charlie’s head snapped up involuntarily, meeting her gaze.

“You’re with me,” she said, motioning to her limo. “See you guys back at the prison…um, I mean the White House.”

Charlie got in on the other side and Bill followed CJ. Closing the door behind them, the limo pulled away from the curb.

***

“CJ?” Mitch poked his head in the door to the den.

“Come on in.” she said, not looking up from the book. She put out what looked to be her third or fourth cigarette.

He accepted her invitation. He put a glass of wine for her on the coffee table and sat at the other end of the couch.

“It’s one in the morning.”

“Hmm?” she raised her head and saw the wine. Raising a glass to her lips, she took a sip. “You should go to bed Mitch, it’s late. My munchkins wake up pretty early in the morning.”

“That’s where I'm headed.” He replied. “You need to turn in, too. I wouldn’t have made the early morning run to Barnes and Noble if I had known it would keep you up all night.”

She gave him a pointed look.

“I know if it hadn’t been me, it would have been Lucy, Charlie, or Hogan. I'm not your only dealer. But you should stop reading that right now. It will be there in the morning.” He placed a light hand on her knee. “You really should get some rest. This week will definitely go down as one of your longest.”

“I know.” CJ sighed. “Just a few more minutes and then I’ll go to bed.”

Satisfied that he had done his best, Mitch left the room and closed the door behind him. CJ watched him go before turning her attention back to the page.

_When Leo McGarry was temporarily disabled by a heart attack, the second Mrs. McGarry had ever she’d ever wanted: a luxurious home, two beautiful children, and the most power an unelected official could ever possess. As the new Chief of Staff to the President of the United States, CJ McGarry controlled all access to the Oval Office. She filtered priorities for the President, refusing to wake him on more than one occasion due to delicate physical condition. Speaking for the highest authority in the land, McGarry sat in the Situation Room. She made treaties and waged wars._

_As soon as she got wind of the deep divide at the Democratic National Convention, she called Josh Lyman and brokered a deal to make her husband the Vice Presidential nominee. Leo would do anything for the party, and even more for his wife. Matthew Santos, certainly the weakest of the three candidates, gladly accepted Leo McGarry’s bid. In four short steps: Toby Ziegler’s lover, Bartlet for America spokesperson, White House Press Secretary, and White House Chief of Staff, CJ McGarry ensured the future of her stronghold in politics; as Second Lady of the United States. What’s next for Washington’s most powerful female?_

CJ closed the book, throwing it on the floor. She sighed and got out of the chair. She picked up the book and tossed it onto the couch. There was nothing she could do about it...this crap was in the bookstores. All of America would be able to read the intimate details of her life and, real or almost real, they would be believed. 

Yet nothing changed. She still had to deal with Kazakhstan, transition, moving the kids to a new house, explaining why there were always going to be about 40 people around, and building the foundation of the new life that waited for her on January 21st. There would be more Simon Blys before this was over so CJ McGarry straightened her back, took a deep breath, went upstairs to kiss her babies and fall asleep in her husband’s arms. That was real, that was her life, and it would have to sustain her until the politics of politics was in the rearview mirror.

***

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally published on 7/30/2006.


End file.
